Articles - Sermons

Status: Member since February 6, 2009Location: United States of AmericaArticles: 31 Active Articles, resulting in 4470 viewsFeedback: 4 comments on these 31 articles

Denny Smith is a baby boomer whose interests range from politics, to sports (basketball and running), to reading, gardening, fishing, the internet, Bible study, writing and other things as well. That which is foremost is Bible study, writing, reading, and physical fitness (running).

He developed his web site, www.dennysmith.net, as a repository for his articles and for the audio sermons of a good friend of his, Waymon Swain, who he considers to be an outstanding gospel preacher. Waymon has a doctorate and two masters degrees but never mentions it nor does he add the titles on as an appendage to his name. This is as it should be for in the kingdom of God we are all equal. Waymon lived in Africa doing missionary work with his wife for a time in his younger years and has preached for over 50 years and is still going strong.

Your author lives in Indiana, graduated from a class of 10 in 1965 from the local high school. He then went on to Indiana State University in Terre Haute and then to Indiana University in Bloomington. He taught school for a number of years, did some farming, and has been a substitute teacher for many years (he adds he got rich doing this). He is married and has two children in their mid twenties, both graduates of Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, with one living in Chicago and the other in Indianapolis.

It is a sin to be unthankful. We hurt others deeply by being unthankful and it is a blot on our character. Not only does the Bible teach thanksgiving toward God but also love and kindness toward one another which includes being thankful to one another for the good done to us.

The Parable of the Talents teaches us that God expects us to use what he has given us in the form of abilities and go to work but it also teaches us that fear can get in the way. Fear and faith do not mix.

In the Parable of the Tares Jesus taught us that there is no middle ground to be had in life. We seek for a gray area that is neither black nor white desiring salvation for those who cannot have it. We seek in vain.

When Jesus was discussing the new birth in John 3 he said, "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5 NKJV) A great many deny that the water of this passage is a reference to baptism. How have men perceived this historically?

There are two views of how God saves a man by grace. Being contradictory both cannot be right. Sometimes being wrong on a subject has little consequence. Other times it makes all the difference in the world, or should we say all the difference in eternity?